Upgrade your sleep: Simple bedroom solutions

Jan 1, 2018

Rate this article and enter to winStudents sleep in all kinds of places: residence halls, shared apartments, random couches, the occasional classroom. Some of those spots work far better than others, in part because the length and quality of our sleep has a lot to do with our immediate environment. We asked you how you make your bedroom into a sleep-happy space. Check out your fellow students’ tips below.

“Decorate with calming colors like blues and yellows. Not bright and exciting colors. It helps to relax you as you walk into your room…Your sanctuary.”—Sarah F., second-year undergraduate, Trinity University, Texas

“Organize the furniture in a way that makes you feel comfortable. You want your room to feel like your room. I like mine with the bed against the wall and facing the window so I can fall asleep/wake up looking out the window, and with open space so I don’t feel all penned up.”—Chad A., fourth-year graduate student, Clemson University, South Carolina

“Look into Feng Shui. I used to think it was a joke but I have a close friend who practices it in her apartment, and every time I walk into her place it feels so comfortable and put together.”—Female fourth-year undergraduate, name & college withheld

“Put your bed on the highest level. It makes you reluctant to get out of bed, and it makes others reluctant to sit on your bed. And not to mention that it makes you feel like you’re on a throne. Second, get a lofting kit and attach it onto your bed and then put a ‘privacy sheet’ over it. This allows for privacy if you need to study, if you want alone time, or even if you just don’t feel like being bothered with your roommate.”—Jeremy B., third-year undergraduate, Southern Illinois University

“Sleep with your head in the corner of the room, so you’re able to turn away from distractions.”—Male fourth-year undergraduate, name & college withheld

“Have a ‘quick stash’ area next to the bed. If it’s too cold, you can snag an extra blanket. Too hot and you can put the blanket in a safe spot. Often getting up and fixing the problem can be too much, so we suffer through the night.”—Rebecca J., fourth-year undergraduate, Portland State University, Oregon

Use a fan for temperature control

“Run a fan for temperature control and white noise.”—Breanna B., third-year undergraduate, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

“Sleep with socks on, and keep your room slightly cooler than the rest of the house.”—Mark P., first-year student, Eastern College Fredericton, New Brunswick

“Control the temperature with AC and the heater or fans.”—Thiago A, third-year undergraduate, University of Massachusetts

Use a fan for white noise

“Get a fan or a white noise machine. As a light sleeper I often find dorm sleeping difficult, but the noise from my fan and white noise apps help me a ton.”—Female third-year undergraduate, name & college withheld

“In my sophomore year, my roommate and I used a fan every night. She wanted it to keep the room cool (that also helps greatly with sleep), but even when she wasn’t there, I would turn it on because I was so used to it. Now even at home I use a fan. It doesn’t have to be loud, just enough to help sleep.”—Samantha M., third-year undergraduate, Husson University, Maine

“A lamp that has yellowish/red light helps me sleep. Many dorms come with bright fluorescent lights that keep you from getting sleepy.”—Heather H., third-year undergraduate, University of California, Irvine

“Have a couple of lamps in your room to lessen the harshness of the overhead light.”—Maria H., fourth-year undergraduate, Elon University, North Carolina

“Don’t use the overhead lighting in your dorm. Put up fairy lights/Christmas tree lights instead. They make for a better atmosphere all together.”—Female second-year undergraduate, name & college withheld

“Put tape over any little lights, like on surge protectors.”—Stephanie S., fourth-year undergraduate, Northern Illinois University

“If you’re surrounded by clutter, there’s a good chance your mind will be cluttered as well, which can make it hard to relax and sleep.”—Grace N., third-year undergraduate, Humboldt State University, California

“Keep only the bare necessities, like a computer, a single desk, an extra shelf (too many will just create more clutter to clean later).”—Ramish R., second-year graduate student, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

“Put away anything that you’d be tempted to use instead of sleeping. For example, put your laptop in a case or drawer.”—Male third-year undergraduate, name & college withheld

“A comfortable-looking bed sets up your subconscious to want to relax and sleep.”—Matthew B., second-year undergraduate, University of Dallas, Texas

“Make your bed every morning. There’s no better feeling than pulling back the covers when you’re ready for bed.”—Hollie M., fifth-year undergraduate, Missouri Southern State University

“Make sure your bed is cleaned off completely before trying to sleep in it. It just works better. Laptops don’t snuggle well.”—Sal I., second-year undergraduate, Michigan Technological University

“A variety of pillows and warm blankets are essential for me so that I’m comfortable and can adjust my pillows to my preference each night. I’ve had my mattress pad for over a year now and I don’t know what I’d do without it. It really makes a big difference.”—Rajeev I., fourth-year undergraduate, Drexel University, Pennsylvania

“Never bring your work to bed with you.”—Justin N., second-year undergraduate, University of Regina, Saskatchewan

“[If your bedroom is where you study] have a desk in your room and do schoolwork at the desk, so the bed doesn’t become a work place.”—Heather H., third-year undergraduate, University of California, Irvine

“Your brain associates tasks with places. Doing something stressful in the bedroom creates a stressful association with the bedroom. It also makes doing that work harder because your body is telling you to sleep instead.”—Glen B., fourth-year undergraduate, Santa Clara University, California

“Try to have a bedtime routine if you have trouble getting to sleep. Creating this schedule can help your body and brain.”—Ed W., second-year student, Mount Wachusett Community College, Massachusetts

“Create a regimen when prepping yourself to sleep. For example, I fluff my pillows and spray my bed with calming fragrances such as lavender.”—Female undergraduate, name & college withheld

“It helps me to relax knowing I’ll be waking up to a tidy room that’s ready for the morning. I make sure my keys are by the door, my bag is packed for the next day, and I usually have my breakfast planned out as well. Just a few minutes at night help me have stress-free mornings.”—Kim G., third-year undergraduate, Santa Clara University, California

“Work out your problems before going to bed so you don’t stay up for two hours just thinking.” [If your worries tend to end up in bed with you, keep a pen and notebook on your night stand; writing them down can help release your mind.]—Karen S., second-year undergraduate, Temple University, Pennsylvania

“Don’t put your computer/laptop next to your bed. If possible, put it across or facing away from your bed.”—Truc N.-P., fourth-year undergraduate, San Jose State University, California

“Don’t have a TV in your room.”—Walter M., fourth-year undergraduate, University of California, San Diego

“On my smartphone and laptop I use programs that ‘remove’ the blue light emitted from electronic devices. This blue light disrupts your melatonin level, which also makes it harder to fall asleep.”—Amber M., third-year undergraduate, The Boston Conservatory

“Turn the electronics off one hour before you sleep. The light and activity from being on an electronic device can actually keep you up because your brain is so active.”—Athena P., first-year student, Red Rocks Community College, Colorado

Light control for iOS devices

Light control for Android devices

“If you have a roommate, be sure to let them know how you feel about noise when sleeping. Some people like to fall asleep with the TV on and some people can’t stand it, so you have to communicate what you want your dorm/bedroom environment to be like.”—Kathleen S., second-year undergraduate, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire

“Set a time that you and your roommate will transition into sleep mode and then any other work must be done out of the room.”—Ethan G., second-year undergraduate, University of Maryland

“Lights out at a specified time and make sure your roommate has working headphones.”—Micah M.-A., third-year undergraduate, University of Massachusetts

“Always shut off alarms in a timely manner, don’t leave the lights on when you leave if your roomie is still sleeping, be quiet and courteous at all times. Don’t do things you would be annoyed at your roommate doing.”—Hope K., third-year undergraduate, college withheld

Joanna Carmona is communications coordinator at the National Patient Safety Foundation. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Student Health 101. She has also edited collegiate textbooks for Cengage Learning and creating language learning materials for the US Department of Defense, libraries, and other educational institutions. Her BA in Spanish is from the University of New Hampshire.

Lucy Berrington is a health writer, editor, and communications manager. Her work has been published in numerous publications in the US and UK. She has an MS in health communication from Tufts University School of Medicine, Massachusetts, and a BA from the University of Oxford, UK.